Let us strengthen our unity and solidarity ending misunderstandings

Nationalism which emerged as a tool of resistance against colonial powers in the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America in the middle of the 19th and 20th centuries has emerged as fascism in two European countries, Italy and Germany, in the middle of the 20th century. That nationalism is returning in a new form. Strong nationalism is emerging all around Bangladesh. The negative result of extreme nationalism in Myanmar is the arrival of the Rohingyas in Bangladesh. The same thing is happening in India. This is also indicated by the statement of US President Donald Trump. A kind of strong nationalism is developing all around.

At a seminar, titled “Geopolitical Challenges and Strategic Imperatives in Bangladesh after the Deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina”, organised by the Bangladesh Institute of Policy Studies (BIPS) on February 15, speakers said that a new Cold War environment is being created around Bangladesh. The historic Cold War was previously in Europe. This time it has come to Bangladesh where there is tension between the US and China, and again between India and China. Bangladesh is a relatively less powerful country in this rivalry. As a result, there is reason to worry here and caution is needed.

Former ambassador and diplomat M Humayun Kabir presented the keynote speech at the seminar. He said, “Bangladesh should not get involved in the power struggle politics of the great powers. National solidarity must be created to face this new reality. The question is, how do we create national solidarity? We are observing that many dividing lines in our society are becoming clearer day by day. Just as our politics and culture were divided in many ways even before the mass uprising, it is still the same. In some cases, it is even increasing, and we are constantly shooting ourselves in the foot due to religious and various ideological conflicts.”

Some recent chaotic incidents in the country - which have been widely reported in the international media - have tarnished our image and have also created a rift in our solidarity. After the mass uprising, we hoped that a united society would be established. That is not yet visible. We have always warned that Bangladesh is going to fall into the clutches of a terrible geopolitics, that it will be more difficult for us to deal with an international crisis than an internal crisis - but a kind of disorderly people have never listened to our words. Political analysts today say that the geo-economy of the region is changing, the first power here is China, whose economy is the second largest in the world.

ASEAN, which consists of 10 countries in Southeast Asia including Myanmar is emerging as the second power. India is coming as the third power. After 25 years, this region may have an economy of $100 trillion, which is four times the size of the US economy. Bangladesh will have to go along with the emerging ASEAN economies. These economies will become much stronger in the coming days and sweep Bangladesh away. So, there is a reason to worry. The question now is how cautious Bangladesh can be in the face of the rise of nationalism all around it.

Experts believe that national solidarity must be created to deal with this new reality. They believe that Bangladesh must remain in a democratic system. A free and inclusive economy will be needed. To understand the geostrategic changes taking place outside Bangladesh, we must observe them carefully. Before a storm like the Rohingya comes, we must deal with it through preventive diplomacy.

Bangladesh itself must explain its position in the global context. We must rely on the young generation. In this reality, Bangladesh's political parties must discover new ways of working in the future. Not the path of party-ideology; we must prioritise our own country first. In this context, we have no choice but to be careful right now. We need self-awareness. Let our path of unity and solidarity be strengthened by eliminating the misunderstandings among ourselves.